Forsta AP Fonden Buys 10,600 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Forsta AP Fonden grew its stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 32.3% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 43,400 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,600 shares during the period. Forsta AP Fonden’s holdings in STERIS were worth $8,921,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of STERIS by 10.1% in the fourth quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 68,126 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $14,281,000 after purchasing an additional 6,266 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of STERIS during the 4th quarter worth approximately $78,000. Kavar Capital Partners Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of STERIS by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Kavar Capital Partners Group LLC now owns 22,567 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $4,639,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV grew its stake in STERIS by 14.3% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 13,798 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,836,000 after purchasing an additional 1,727 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 19.9% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,128 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $232,000 after buying an additional 187 shares during the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

STERIS Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of STERIS stock opened at $221.66 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $211.90 and its 200-day moving average price is $224.77. The company has a current ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The company has a market cap of $21.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.61 and a beta of 0.84. STERIS plc has a 12-month low of $197.82 and a 12-month high of $248.24.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.12 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $1.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.33 billion. STERIS had a net margin of 8.02% and a return on equity of 13.78%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.03 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 9.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.03%. STERIS’s payout ratio is presently 52.05%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on STE shares. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, November 8th. JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $260.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Piper Sandler raised STERIS from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $230.00 to $260.00 in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $262.50.

Insider Transactions at STERIS

In related news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.32, for a total value of $365,532.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,372 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,471,363.04. The trade was a 12.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

About STERIS

STERIS plc provides infection prevention products and services worldwide. It operates through four segments: Healthcare, Applied Sterilization Technologies, Life Sciences, and Dental. The Healthcare segment offers cleaning chemistries and sterility assurance products; automated endoscope reprocessing system and tracking products; endoscopy accessories, washers, sterilizers, and other pieces of capital equipment for the operation of a sterile processing department; and equipment used directly in the operating room, including surgical tables, lights, and connectivity solutions, as well as equipment management services.